Pine Baron’s recent cover of Japanese band Fishman’s “In the Air”, is more than just a cover but a tribute in the truest sense of the word. While mostly staying true to form, just enough small changes in arrangement, inflection, and tonality are introduced that it feels almost like the band is picking up where the already pioneering Fishman’s left off. While you can tell just by listening that a lot of love and attention to detail went into this project, the point is really driven home when the band discusses parts of the recording process.
“We built custom wind chimes out of glockenspiel tone bars, bells, forks, and knives which were all hanging from the rim of a bike tire that hung from the ceiling. Two mics coming out the ears of a mannequin head which was placed beneath the spinning wind chimes were used to record it for a binaural effect.” The hard work paid off and the result is an intriguing performance that will no doubt direct more listeners to the criminally underrated catalog of the Fishman’s.
“ゆらめき IN THE AIR has a haunting quality to it, lyrically and in the way it moves. The first version I heard was the live performance off Otokotachi no Wakare. From this sort of cosmic meditative intro, like leaving the earth behind as you enter the upper atmosphere, out comes this creeping hypnotic pulse with bass and drums. The progression feels ahead of its time, and it blew me away. As the last Fishman’s single to be released in 1998, it was an important one to include on this album. I wanted to marry the essence of the live version with the studio version, with a slight deviation from the structure. When it feels like it might come to an end, it blasts off into this other realm where you forget you’re listening to the same song,” says Keith Abrams (vocals/multi-instrumentalist).